Improving the integrity of Georgetown – a work in progress

Mar 20, 2016 News

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By Sharmain Grainger
There were numerous boastful remarks coming out of City Hall during the past week that Georgetown is

well on its way to salvaging the title of “Garden City”.   And there is definitely evidence to support this development – cleaner drains and alleyways, tidier streets, and many people seem to be more inclined to embrace a culture of cleanliness.
And Town Clerk, Mr. Royston King, has certainly been gaining a lot of support during the past few months to get things done.
He was only too proud to speak of this last week. In animated form, he spoke of bringing to fruition projects in abundance, that have helped to evolve the state of the capital city.
Key among the projects that have helped to improve the integrity of the city was the extensive drainage works undertaken. And works in this regard were conducted in Lacytown, Bourda, Wortmanville, Werk-en-Rust, Agricola, McDoom, Houston, Meadow Bank, Campbellville, East and West Ruimveldt, North and South Ruimveldt, Albouystown, Charlestown, Queenstown, Atlantic Ville, Cummings Lodge, Roxanne Burnham Gardens, and a number of other areas.
But what was interesting to hear King speak of last week was the fact that the works undertaken were not simply done in a haphazard manner, which was the suspected mode of operation at City Hall in the not so distant past.
To carry out the much needed drainage works, the municipality with King at its helm, was able to embrace a strategic tactic which was dubbed a “community-led model” by the Town Clerk.
This, according to him, simply meant that residents from the respective communities were recruited to clean the drains, the alleyways, cut the overgrowth and undertake all the other necessary grooming of their respective environments.
A laudable tactic indeed, as based on King’s report there was a twin benefit to reap.
This translated to the provision of employment for people who were otherwise unemployed – being recruited to clean-up their own communities, one at a time.
This was definitely an initiative that was well backed by Government which has been pushing for a green culture that fosters environmentally friendly ways by the citizenry.
Moreover, there were sufficient funds made available to the municipality to fuel its ‘community-led’ model. According to King, the municipality was able to provide contracts to the tune of $1.5 million to these communities.
Ahead of the awarding of contracts though, each community had to submit the names of up to about 20 individuals participating in the projects. And according to King, the completion of each community project spanned a period of at least 21 days.
“We believe it worked well for us, because in the first instance we gave people a chance to participate in an activity aimed at cleaning up the environment, and the second thing we were able to do was to have them take ownership and responsibility for the physical state of their communities,” King asserted.

He continued, “We believe if residents take ownership for the condition of their own local communities we will get more public buy-in, more support, and we will save more money and be able to sustain the works done in those communities”.
But King was able to spearhead even more laudable undertakings in the capital city, complete with the needed support. Works were carried out, and in some cases are still ongoing, on a number of infrastructural upgrades and enhancements around the city and on municipal buildings. Among them, moves towards the complete restoration of the Kitty Market. But who knew that the restoration of the Kitty Market was even possible? For many years this municipal facility was left to fall apart with absolutely no intervention to even save its historic value.
But King interestingly enough dared to embark upon this project which has brought life and vitality to a structure that was merely a shell waiting to collapse.
“Many people thought that we actually couldn’t do it, but we have shown them that we have the skills and the competencies to get work done,” King declared with pride last week.
The works being done will undeniably create the kind of public impact that City Hall is looking for in order to help it to generate the kind of money required to provide services and facilities to the citizens of Georgetown. This is in light of the fact, and King has confessed to this too, that the number one issue that continues to face the municipality, like so many others, is that of finances.
The fact that the measures that have been fast tracked by King are geared towards not only improving the environment but also the revenue earning ability of the municipality, not only speaks well for his leadership ability, but also the sustainability of the integrity of the city as well, something that has been woefully lacking for many years.

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